The structure of the Statue of Liberty

The statue is 46 meters high, 93 meters plus the base, weighs 225 tons (490,000 pounds), and is made of metal. The steel bracket inside the bronze statue was designed and produced by the architect Villebourduc and later the world-famous French engineer Gustave Eiffel who built the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The entire bronze statue uses 120 tons of steel as the skeleton, 80 tons of copper sheets as the outer skin, and is assembled and fixed on the bracket with 300,000 rivets.

The spiral staircase in the body of the goddess statue allows tourists to climb up to its head, which is equivalent to climbing a 12-story building (due to the height, an elevator was later installed from the base to facilitate tourists to go up and down. ).

The Statue of Liberty is placed on a 46-meter-high concrete platform. The base was built with $100,000 raised by the famous Joseph Pulitzer. The base has become the Museum of American Immigration History. On the base of the granite statue is engraved a popular poem "The New Giant" by American poet Emma Lazarus:

"Let those who long to breathe The free air, and the people who are exhausted after the long journey and have no money, lean on each other and fall into my arms! I stand at the golden door, holding high the light of freedom." In 1865, Bartholdi said in someone else's house. Under the proposal, it was decided to build a statue symbolizing freedom, donated by the French people, as a gift from the French government to the U.S. government to celebrate the 100th anniversary of U.S. independence.

Some people believe that the design and construction of the Statue of Liberty can be traced back to 1865, when Lavolaye, a French scholar and political activist who supported the Union Army in the Civil War, had a dinner at his home near Versailles. In a later chat, he said: "If a statue should be erected to commemorate the independence of the United States, I think it is only natural that our two countries should build it jointly." The U.S. National Park Service said in a report released in 2000 Said that this statement comes from a fundraising brochure in 1885 and is not accurate; the idea of ??building the Statue of Liberty most likely appeared in 1870

According to Bartholdi’s own statement, the above statement mentioned He was present during the small talk. Lavolaye's idea did not become a formal proposal, but it inspired Bartholdi. Due to the suppression of freedom of thought under Napoleon III, Bartholdi did not take immediate action, but only discussed it with Lavolaye. Bartholdi also contacted the Egyptian Khedive Ismail Pasha, who had planned to build and painted a giant lighthouse with the image of an ancient Egyptian female Faraheen wearing a robe and holding a torch near Port Said on the Suez Canal. Sketches were made and models were made, but ultimately never built. Similar plans to the lighthouse on the Suez Canal include the Statue of Rhodes, an ancient bronze statue of the sun god Helios thought to be over 100 feet (30 meters) tall, also located at the entrance to the port. , providing light guidance for passing ships.

In the Franco-Prussian War that broke out in 1870, Bartholdi participated in the war as an army major. During the war, Napoleon III was captured and deposed, Bartholdi's hometown of Alsace was ceded to Prussia, and the Third French Republic was established. After the war, Bartholdi planned to travel to the United States, and he and Lavolaye decided it was time to discuss the construction of the Statue of Liberty with some influential Americans. In June 1871, Bartholdi crossed the Atlantic and came to the United States with Lavolaye's letter of introduction.

As soon as Bartholdi arrived in New York Harbor, he noticed Bedloe Island. He found that all the ships passing by must pass by this island. He also learned that the island was owned by the U.S. government, and he happily wrote to Lavolaye, calling it "the only land in all states." Bartholdi met with many celebrities from all walks of life in New York, and also visited the then US President Grant, and received his assurance that it would not be too difficult to obtain Bedloe Island as the site for the statue. Bartholdi traveled across the United States by train twice more, meeting with many Americans who might have been optimistic about the statue project. However, he still believed that the public support for this plan in the United States and France was not enough, so he and Lavolaye decided to wait for the right time.

The Lion of Belfort by Bartholdi

Bartholdi made the first model for the statue as early as 1870. An American artist friend of his kept the sketches he brought with him during his visit to the United States in his studio in Rhode Island. Bartholdi continued working on the statue after returning to France. He was also involved in the design of several statues supporting French patriotism, including Belfort's iconic sculpture, the Lion of Belfort. The 73-foot-long (22-meter) statue, built to commemorate the three-month Prussian siege of Balfour Castle, displays provocative sentiments and is strongly Romantic in style. This romantic style influenced Bartholdi's design of the Statue of Liberty. Not long after, Bartholdi met a girl named Jeanne at a wedding. Jeanne was beautiful, dignified, and well-mannered. Bartholdi thought it was very appropriate for her to model the Statue of Liberty, which "illuminates the world", and Jeanne readily agreed. During the sculpture process, pure love developed between them, and they finally became husband and wife.

After the sketch design of the Statue of Liberty was completed in 1869, Bartholdi began to devote himself wholeheartedly to sculpture work. He once traveled to the United States to win Americans' support for the statue project, but the Americans were slow to realize the preciousness of this gift.

The statue project started in 1874. When Bartholdi participated in the 100th Anniversary Exposition held in Philadelphia in 1876, in order to attract public attention, he displayed the hand of the Statue of Liberty holding the torch at the expo. , which caused a sensation. The hand in front of people is 2.44 meters long with just the index finger and more than 1 meter in diameter. It is a rare art treasure. As a result, this sculpture, which was little known a few days ago, suddenly became worth a hundred times more and became an art treasure that Americans are eager to appreciate. Soon, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution formally approving the president's request to accept the statue of the goddess, and at the same time determined Bedlo Island as the location to build the statue of the goddess.

The Statue of Liberty was completely completed in 1884, which took ten years. On July 6, the Statue of Liberty was officially announced as a gift to the United States. Statue of Liberty Installation Process Historical Evolution Pictures The Statue of Liberty was constructed in France. Subsequently, the Statue was dismantled and packed into boxes and shipped to New York by ship. In 1883, workers in a French factory were busy making various parts of the Statue of Liberty. Before the Statue of Liberty became a symbol of American freedom, various parts of it had become "tourist hotspots", attracting large numbers of tourists to come and watch. The sculptor once made a model of the Statue of Liberty to show how the sculpture would look when completed. The Statue of Liberty was assembled in France before being shipped to the United States. It is reported that the face of the Statue of Liberty was derived from the mother of the sculptor Bartholdi. Workers work on the hands of the Statue of Liberty in 1883. The picture shows the feet of the Statue of Liberty. Before the Statue of Liberty was shipped to the United States, tourists came to take photos in front of the unfinished sculpture. In 1984-85, workers rebuilt the torch in the hands of the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was originally managed by the United States Lighthouse Management Committee. In 1901, it was transferred to the management of the U.S. Department of War (the predecessor of the U.S. Department of Defense). From 1933 to the present, it is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. The Statue of Liberty has undergone several renovations and closures, including the replacement of cast iron with concrete as supports in 1938.

In 1916, President Wilson installed a day and night lighting system for the statue of the goddess and presided over the completion ceremony.

Modernization was carried out from 1984 to 1986.

Due to the September 11th incident in the United States, the top of the Statue of Liberty was closed to the public until July 4, 2009, the Independence Day of the United States, when the U.S. government reopened it.

Another staircase will be installed from October 2011.

The Union of Concerned Sciences (UCS) released a report stating that in the context of global warming, many American landmarks are in danger of being submerged, including Ellis Island, Jamestown and even Even the Statue of Liberty is doomed.

The report pointed out that there are many factors that threaten American landmarks. From a long-term perspective, sea level rise, fires, and floods are all mortal enemies of natural and cultural landscapes. The report lists nearly 30 threatened landmarks and urges the U.S. government to carry out protection work as soon as possible, especially starting to protect the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which are in high-risk situations. The report also calls on the public to participate in conservation efforts and reduce the impact of climate change by reducing personal carbon emissions.

Adam Markham, a climate impact expert at the University of Southern California, said in an interview that these landmarks have witnessed and presented the history of the United States, and are now under great threat due to practical reasons. He is also deeply saddened. . But he predicts that by the end of the century, America's oldest colony, Jamestown, will be submerged beneath sea level. Monroe, Virginia will also become an island in 70 years.